Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustees

	Site Overview The Portland Harbor area along the Lower Willamette River was named a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2000. The Superfund study area extends from river mile 2 (between the Multnomah Channel and Columbia River) to river mile 11.8 (near the Broadway Bridge). In 2002, a Natural Resources Trustee Council was formed to develop and coordinate damage assessment activities at Portland Harbor and to plan for the restoration of natural resources. More information >>
	Damage Assessment The Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process is separate from the EPA clean-up activities. Under NRDA, the Trustee Council will evaluate how the natural resources were harmed over the time that the area has been contaminated and will develop a restoration plan to compensate for those losses. More information >>
	Restoration Planning The Trustee Council is developing a restoration plan to restore injured natural resources and address the public’s lost use of those resources. Restoration actions will improve habitat conditions along the lower Willamette River, its shorelines, floodplain, and river-associated habitats, focusing on the most important habitat needs of injured fish and wildlife. More information >>
	Potentially Responsible Party Information The Trustee Council is conducting a cooperative NRDA process with a group of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) in the Superfund site area. This section of the website hosts important information for PRPs including Phase 1 and Phase 2 documentation and agreements. More information >>

SITE OVERVIEW

Background

Since the early 1900s, industries along the lower Willamette River have released dozens of contaminants into the river and onto the land around it. Substances released include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, pesticides (e.g., DDT), dioxins, and furans. Many of these contaminants can harm the environment for many decades. Even small amounts of these contaminants can be hazardous to fish and wildlife. Larger animals like osprey and river otter that have eaten contaminated smaller animals (e.g., fish) can build up high levels of contamination through their food.

In 2000, Portland Harbor was declared a federal Superfund site. The Superfund study area extends from river mile 2 (between the Multnomah Channel and Columbia River) to river mile 11.8 (near the Broadway Bridge). The EPA is expected to issue a decision about cleanup of contaminated river sediments in 2012 while the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is working to reduce the amount of contamination entering the water from the land.

In 2002, the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council (Trustee Council) was formed to develop and coordinate damage assessment activities at Portland Harbor and to plan for the restoration of natural resources through the NRDA process. The NRDA process is separate from the EPA clean-up activities. Under NRDA, the Trustee Council will evaluate how the natural resources were harmed over the time that the area has been contaminated and will develop a restoration program to compensate for those losses.

Portland Harbor Trustee Council

When natural resources are injured by releases of hazardous substances or oil, laws such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Oil Pollution Act empower natural resource Trustees to obtain compensation for harm to trust resources and to plan and carry out actions to restore injured resources through a process called natural resource damage assessment (NRDA).

The Trustee Council currently consists of representatives of eight Trustees:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, acting on behalf of U.S. Department of Commerce
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, acting on behalf of U.S. Department of the Interior
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, acting on behalf of State of Oregon
• Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
• Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
• Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
• Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon
• Nez Perce Tribe

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DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

The NRDA process is separate from the EPA clean-up activities. A major goal of NRDA is to make the public “whole” for injury to, or loss of, natural resources and the services provided by those resources. Through the NRDA process, the Trustee Council will do the following:

• Assess natural resource injuries caused by contaminants.
• Quantify those injuries.
• Seek compensation from the parties responsible for the contaminants.
• Use compensation funds to restore, rehabilitate, and/or replace those injured natural resources, or direct the responsible parties to do so.

The Trustee Council has developed a phased approach for the NRDA process. The goal is to reach settlements with Potentially Responsible Parties at or around the time of EPA’s decision on the Superfund clean-up/process.

Damage Assessment Documents

• Final Assessment Plan (June 1, 2010)
• Navigation Claim Addendum to Review Draft Assessment Plan (April 1, 2010)
  • Comments Received
  • Response to Comments
• Review Draft Assessment Plan (November 23, 2009)
• Comments Received
• Utilization of Assessment Plan Outline Comments
• Response to Comments on Assessment Plan Outline
• Assessment Plan References
• List of References
• FTP Access to all reference documents (FTP access available soon)
• Project Studies and Reports
• Preassessment Screening Report (2007)
• Salmon Study (2009)
• Osprey Study (2009)
• Osprey Egg Data Summary Report (2011)
• Lamprey Study Report (2011)
• Lamprey Background Studies (2011) (Zip Folder)

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RESTORATION PLANNING

Useful Links

• Expert Panel Summary
• Restoration Example
• NOAA NEPA Website

Broader Focus Area for Ecological Restoration

The Trustee Council is developing a restoration plan to restore injured natural resources and address the public’s lost use of those resources. Restoration actions will improve habitat conditions along the lower Willamette River, its shorelines, floodplain, and river-associated habitats, focusing on the most important habitat needs of injured fish and wildlife.

The Trustee Council has identified a preliminary list of potential restoration opportunities in the Portland Harbor area and is drafting a Restoration Plan that will outline restoration options, describe a way to scale restoration to the assessed natural resource injuries, and guide how specific restoration projects are chosen. The Trustee Council will seek public input on the plan in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

Restoration and National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) Documents

• Restoration Planning
• Restoration Project Criteria
• Revised Ecological Restoration Portfolio (June 2012)
• Juvenile Spring Chinook Literature Review
• Expert Panel Cover Letter to Literature Review
• Wildlife Advisory Group
• Study Area and Broader Restoration Focus Area Map
• Early Restoration MOA Template
• 3rd Party Restoration MOA Template
• Habitat Values
• Habitat Definitions
• NEPA Documents
• Notice of Intent (Feb. 2010)
• Scoping Information Sheet (Feb. 2010)
• Scoping Meeting Presentation (Mar. 2010)
• Final Scoping Report (May 2010)
• NEPA Schedule
• Draft Programmatic EIS and Restoration Plan (4.6 MB)
• Appendix A (8.6MB)
• Restoration Plan Handout

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POTENTIALLY RESPONSIBLE PARTY INFORMATION

The Trustee Council is conducting a cooperative NRDA process with the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) in the Superfund site area. This section of the website hosts important information for PRPs including Phase 1 and Phase 2 documentation and agreements.

Documents for PRPs

• Phase 1 NRDA Process
• Phase 1 Funding and Participation Agreement
• Phase 1 Participating Parties
• Phase 1 Budget Estimate
• Phase 2 NRDA Process
• Phase 2 Funding and Participation Agreement (August 26, 2010)
• Phase 2 Budget
• Budget Narrative
• Funding Scenarios
• Phase 2 Participating Parties
• Presentations to PRPs
• February 16, 2010 Phase 2 Assessment Activities
• March 3, 2010 NEPA Scoping Meeting for Restoration Planning
• April 23, 2010 Portland Harbor NRDA: Phase 2 Work Plan

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ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD

The Trustee Council has opened an Administrative Record which includes documents relied upon during the development of the Draft PEIS and Restoration Plan and the Portland Harbor NRDA case. The documents will be available via FTP soon.

RELATED WEBSITES

• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality


• Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group


• Environmental Protection Agency


• NOAA Damage Assessment, Remediation, & Restoration (DARRP) Information


• DARRP Portland Harbor Website